Driving and compensating mechanism for related conveyers



DRIVING AND GOMPENSATING MECHANISM FOR RELATED CONVEYERS D. R. HORWITZ Nov. 4, 1941.

Filed Nov. 16, 19.39 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTQR ATTORNEY.

Nov. 4, 1941. D. R. HORWITZ 2,261,765- DRIVING A ND COMPENSATING MECHANISM FOR RELATED CONVEYERS I Filed Nov 1.6, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gf/ENTOR J m /Mwmmw ATTORNEY.

movements of the slicer conveyer.

Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED DRIVING AND COMPENSATING MECHANISM FOR RELATED CONVEYERS David R. Horwitz, Sheboygan, Wis, assignor to Hayssen Manufacturing Company, Sheboygan, Wis, a co-partnership consisting of William A. Hayssen, Jane P. Hayss'en, and Marie Hayssen Perry Application November 16,1939, SerialNo. 304,715

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in driving and compensating mechanism for related conveyers.

Although the present invention may have utility in various fields, it has special utility in bread slicing and wrapping machines and will therefore be described in connection therewith. A bread slicing and wrapping machine usually comprises a slicing mechanism, and a wrapping mechanism. A conveyer carries successive loaves of bread to and through the slicer, and another conveyer receives the successive sliced loaves from the sheer and delivers the same to the wrapping mechanism. Each of said conveyers is provided with moving flights, and it is desirable to have the flights on the wrapper conveyer more widely spaced apart than the flights on the slicer conveyer, because the wrapper conveyer is driven at a greater speed than the slicer conveyer in order to quickly move the sliced loaves away from the blades of the slicer. It is of course obvious that the wrapper conveyer and slicer conveyer should be synchronized relative to one another in order that the pockets between the fiights on the former will be correctly located for the reception of loaves from the slicer. Another factor to be considered is that the wrapper conveyer sometimes is run rearwardly, and as the slicer conveyer is driven from is disclosed a bread slicing and wrapping machine wherein the two conveyers may be synchronized. However, in this patent the synchronizing can only be accomplished through Also, this patent contains no provisions for positively and automatically preventing reverse or rearward movements of the slicer conveyer.

With the above points in mind an object of the present invention is to provide a driving and compensating mechanism for related conveyers wherein reverse movements of the wrapper or discharge conveyer may be accomplished without affecting the slicer or incoming conveyer.

A further object of the invention is to probeing attainable not only by manual movements of the incoming conveyer, but also by reverse movement of the discharge conveyer while the incoming conveyer remains stationary.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character described in which an infinte number of positions of oneconveyer relative to. the other may be obtained for compensating or synchronizing purposes. A further object of the invention is to provide'a driving and compensating mechanismv for related conveyers wherein synchronization of the two conveyers. may be accomplished without the necessity of stopping the entire machine and while the discharge conveyer is operating. 7

A further object of the invention is to provide a driving and compensating mechanism for related conveyers which will permit disconnection of the slicer conveyer relative to, the wrapper conveyer with the result that the wrapping machine and its conveyer may be operated independently.

A further object of the invention is to provide a driving and. compensating mechanism for related conveyers which is of very simple construction, which is easy to install in a, bread slicing and wrapping machine, which isv easy .to operate and control, which is strong and durable, and which is well adapted for the purposes described. With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved driving and compensating mechanism for related. conveyers, and its parts and. combinations as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings-in which the same reference characters indicate the, same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view from one side of the related conveyersof a bread slicing machine with parts broken away and in section; Fig. 2 is a plan view-of the portion of the machine shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away and in section; 1

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the side opposite to that shown in Fig. 1 of that portion of the machine which includes the driven and controlled shafts for the incoming or slicer conveyer, said view being taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; 6 Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, part1 in section, of a portion of the wrapper conveyer shaft which carries a clutch mechanism; and.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view takenon line 55 of Fig. 4.

A bread slicing machine, with which the prescut improvements may, by Way of illustration, be associated, includes an upright frame or housing I within which there are spaced, reciprocating knives for loaf slicing purposes. A delivery table II, having suitable side rails |2 associated therewith, extends toward one side of the slicer housing l0. Spaced loaves to be sliced are propelled along the table II in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 by means of an endless conveyer. Said endless conveyer'includes laterally spaced-apart chains |3 extending over sprockets at the forward end of the machine (not shown) and also extending over sprockets l4 and I4 at the intermediate portion of the machine, the sprockets |4 being mounted fast on a driven shaft 5. Carried by the chains at suitable intervals are flights I6.

At the inner end of the table N there is an inclined extent |1 leading to the slicing mechanism. When loaves or other objects are passed through the slicer they are successively received on the inner end of a discharge conveyer table l8. Associated with said table is a discharge or wrapping conveyer formed of laterally spaced-apart chains H! which carry spaced, transverse flights 20. The flights of the wrapper conveyer are more widely spaced apart than are the flights of the slicer conveyer because the wrapper conveyer travels at a greater rate of speed than the slicer conveyer, as will hereafter appear. The outer ends of the chains |9 extend about the sprockets on a driven shaft (not shown), this being conventional in machines of this type and the shaft is driven directly from some source of power such as the wrapping mechanism. In other words the chains IQ of the wrapper conveyer are positively driven and extend over sprockets 2| on a shaft 22 at the intermediate portion of the machine. For the purposes of this invention said shaft 22 may be considered as a driving shaft and power to propel the incoming conveyer is derived therefrom, as will appear hereinafter.

On one end. portion of the shaft 22 there is mounted a one-way, overrunning clutch designated generally by the numeral 23. This clutch is shown in detail in Figs. 4 and and includes a cupped'member 24 whose hub portion 24 is pinned to said shaft, as at 25. A sleeve 26 surrounds a portion of said shaft inwardly of the cupped member 24 and the portion of said sleeve within the cupped member is formed as an integral wheel 21 with a plurality of eccentric pockets 28 therein. Within each pocket of the wheel and confined by the inner wall of the cupped member 24 there is a roller bearing 29. When the roller bearings are in the enlarged portions of the pockets the same may roll freely and the members 24 and 26, and all members respectively connected thereto, may have revoluble movement relative to each other. If relative movement of the members 24 and 26 is in a direction to urge the rollers toward the reduced ends of the pockets 28, then the rollers will become bound and cause an engagement as between the members 24 and 26 whereby the same can only turn together in one direction. The

sleeve 26 and parts integral therewith are actually loose on the shaft 22 and only become fast on the shaft when the sleeve 26 is engaged with the cupped member 24 through the binding of therollers, as previously mentioned. An inner portion of said sleeve 26 also has fast thereon a small sprocket wheel 30.

Referringv now to the inner end portion of the frame of the slicer or incoming conveyer, it will be observed that there is suitably journalled therein, forwardly of and slightly above the shaft I5, a control shaft 3|. One end portion of said shaft 3| has fast thereon a large sprocket wheel 32, which sprocket wheel is connected with the sprocket 30 on the shaft 22 by means of an endless chain 33. The end portion of the shaft 3| which carries the sprocket wheel 32 extends inwardly through suitable bearings 34 and an intermediateportion of the shaft has loose thereon a gear 35. Between a face of the gear and the innermost bearing a spring 36 is coiled about the shaft. Formed integrally with the other face of the gear is a disk 31 having a reduced portion 38. Also on the shaft 3| adjacent the disc 31 is a collar 39 which is pinned to the shaft and which is provided with a notch or recess 4|] to disengageably receive a tooth or lug 4| on the adjacent face of the disc 31.

Longitudinally movably mounted transversely in the frame of the incoming conveyer below the shaft 3| is'a shifting rod 42 carrying a handle 43 at one end. Fast on an intermediate portion of said rod 42 there is an upstanding yoke 44 extending adjacent the reduced portion 38 of the disc 31 and adapted to bear against face portions of the members 35 or 31. If the rod 42 is pushed inwardly said yoke 44 will move the members 35 and 31 on the shaft 3| sufficiently far to disengage the lug 4| from the recess 46, this movement being against the force of the spring 36. With this movement the gear 35, although still in mesh with a gear 46, will be free on its shaft and will be an idler. When the rod 42 is released the spring 36 will return the members to the position shown, whereupon the gear 35 will be fast with the shaft, through the medium of the pinned collar 39, and will be driven by the shaft.

The numeral 45 designates an intermediate or counter-shaft also journalled transversely in the frame of the incoming conveyer and positioned between the shafts 3| and IS. A gear 46 is mounted fast on an intermediate portion of said shaft and it meshes with the gear 35 on the shaft 3|. A scroll or eccentric gear 41 is mounted fast on'an end portion of the counter shaft 45 and said gear meshes with a similar scroll gear 48 fast on the driven or main shaft |5 of the incoming conveyer. By means of said scroll or eccentric gears the incoming conveyer is caused to run alternately slow and faster to accelerate movements of the same at desired periods. Under any conditions, however, the speed of travel of the incoming conveyer is less than that of the discharge conveyer, as previously mentioned.

Having in mind the specific details of construction heretofore described, the operation of the improved mechanism will now be taken up. When the device is used in association with a bread slicingmaohine, as illustrated, it is obvious that the successive loaves of bread to be sliced are propelled along the table l2 by means of the flights I6 and are delivered into and through the reciprocating knives in the slicer housing Ill. The successive sliced loaves then reach the inner end of the delivery table I8 and are propelled therealong by the flights 20 carried by the chains I9 of the discharge conveyer. Presumably the sliced loaves may be delivered to some other instrumentality as a wrapping machine.

For the mechanism which forms the subject of the present invention the discharge conveyer chains |9 may be considered as the drivers as they are connected with some other source of power. The upper extent of the chains l9 normally travel in the direction of the arrow in Figs. 1 and 2 and this will cause the discharge conveyer shaft 22 to revolve in a clock-wise direction relative to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5. The shaft 22 carries the overrunning one-way clutch 23 previously described and. with the shaft 22 revolving in the direction referred to the sprocket wheel 30 will be driven with the shaft in the same direction due to the clutch engagement of the parts. This motion will be effective to drive the large sprocket wheel 32 on the shaft 3! of the incoming conveyer, through the medium of the connecting chain 33. Normally the disc 31 is engaged with the collar 39 on the shaft 3| so the gear 35 will be driven by the shaft 3| transmitting, through the gear 46, rotation to the countershaft 45. By virtue of'the meshing scroll gears 41 and 48 on the shafts 45 and [5 respectively, rotation in a clock-wise direction, relative to the referred to views of the drawings, is imparted to the shaft l5. As before mentioned the scroll gears cause the shaft to revolve alternately slow and fast. The shaft [5 carries the driving sprockets M for the incoming conveyer chains and hence the incoming conveyer is driven at the desired speed relative to the discharge conveyer and it is propelled by the movement of the discharge conveyer through the connections referred to. This operation is the normal operation of the mechanism and of course when the power for the discharge conveyer is shut off both the discharge conveyer and the incoming conveyer will stop.

Under certain conditions it is desirable to move the flights 20 of the discharge conveyer in a reverse direction and for this purpose the power for the discharge conveyer is reversed. Then the shaft 22 will turn in a counterclockwise direction relative to Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5. At this time the clutch 23 becomes effective to provide disengagement as between the sprockets and the driven shaft 22. When the shaft 22 turns in the reverse direction the sprocket 30 will remain stationary and will not drive the chain 33 which leads to the sprocket 32 on the shaft 3|. It will therefore be seen that through the provision of the clutch 23 the drive between the shaft 22 and the shafts of the incoming conveyer will be broken upon reverse movement of the discharge conveyer. This is particularly desirable and necessary in certain forms of mechanisms of which the present device is an example for the reason that the conveyer members and flights of the incoming conveyer are designed to only travel in a forward direction and provision is therefore made to positively prevent reverse movement of the incoming conveyer, notwithstanding reverse movement of the discharge conveyer, which is the normal driving instrumentality. It may also be pointed out that reverse movement of the discharge conveyer may be necessary and desirable when it is desired to synchronize, compensate or adjust the location of the flights of the discharge conveyer relative to the position of the flights of the incoming conveyer. This may be necessary when the machine is used for a series of packages of different sizes than those for which it was originally set.

Some times, in the operation of the entire H mechanism, it may be desirable to disconnect the incoming conveyer from the discharge conveyer so far as driving is concerned. This may be important when it is desired to use only the discharge conveyer of the machine for delivering unsliced goods to a wrapper, for instance. In this event the handle 43 of the shifting rod 42 is manipulated whereby the gear 35 is disconnected from the collar 39 and becomes an idler. Then, motion will not be transmitted to the incoming conveyer shaft l5 and the incoming conveyer will not be moved notwithstanding continued movement of the discharge conveyer.

In addition to the manner of obtaining synchronization or compensation as between the two conveyers previously described and effected by running the discharge conveyer in a reverse direction a desired distance, compensation or synchronization-can be accomplished through manually turning the incoming conveyer shaft l5. A hand wheel 49 on an outer end of the shaft l5 may be manually turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, to thereby move the conveyer chains I3 and relocate the flights l6 of the incoming conveyer. Although turning movement is imparted to the shaft 3| through the gears 46 and 35, the shaft 22 of the wrapper conveyer will not be turned because the overrunning clutch 23 comes into play and prevents the driving of said shaft 22. This mode of compensation or synchronization can be accomplished without the necessity of shutting off the power for the machine including the discharge conveyer.

From the foregoing explanation of the various modes of operation of the mechanism it will be apparent that reverse movements of the discharge conveyer can be accomplished for any desired reason, and for the purposes of compensation, without affecting the incoming conveyer. Also, several practical methods of easy synchronization may be accomplished with this mechanism and the positions of adjustment are unlimited. The improved mechanism is further of simple and novel construction and is well adapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is Regulating mechanism associated with a pair of related, different speed conveyers, one of the conveyers being a driver and. the other conveyer being driven therefrom and the first conveyer including a driving shaft and the second conveyer including a driven shaft, comprising motion transmitting means connecting said shafts, an overrunning clutch incorporated in the driving shaft of the first conveyer for automatically effecting a driving connection for said motion transmitting means upon forward movement of the driving conveyer and a disconnection of said motion transmitting means upon a rearward movement of the driving conveyer, said motion transmitting means including a shaft adjacent the driven shaft of the second conveyer with driving connections between said shafts, manually operable means for engaging and disengaging the driving connections as between said last two mentioned shafts, and a hand operated member on said driven shaft for turning it in a predetermined direction to obtain compensating advancement of the second conveyer relative to the first conveyer.

DAVID R. I-IORWITZ. 

